


Allostasis

by Steampoweredwitch



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-16 20:25:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16960911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steampoweredwitch/pseuds/Steampoweredwitch
Summary: Hux is a barely functional workaholic without a soulmark. Ren believes his soulmate hates him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [finealizer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/finealizer/gifts).



> starkickback.tumblr.com
> 
> Go see my amazing artist!! Star worked so hard on the pieces for this fic!
> 
> Will be posted between today and the 15th/16th (because I am a paragon of organization and preparedness).

“Out,” Hux barked. The snap of his voice made even Kylo's spine itch to straighten to attention. The throne room emptied.

 

Kylo hadn't appointed a guard to the room. Snoke's Praetorians hadn't been enough to stop Rey. He didn't see the point in repeating the past.  Hux was not himself. He seemed almost - unhinged. Beneath the surface, his thoughts pulsed so rapidly that Kylo could feel their current without even reaching for him. It reminded him of their last confrontation in this room.

 

“What's so urgent, General?”

 

Hux grit his teeth, clenched his fists. “What exactly is the meaning of this,” he snarled, tossing a data pad at him. Kylo snared it with the Force and let it come to him. He frowned.

 

“I don't see the problem.” It was only the duty roster for the week. The General sneered at it as if it were venomous.

 

“Three days! Three standard days with no one qualified supervising your impulsive decisions!”

 

“You're angry I gave you time off?”

 

“I'm not done yet!” Hux's voice sharpening in pitch.

 

For the next several minutes, Hux ranted furiously at him, and Kylo just - gawked, letting the general expel all that steam in one violent burst. He'd never seen him so out of control before. Astounding. He was a little entranced by the impressive way Hux channelled his fury just to scold him over a scheduling mix-up. He forgot to even be angry. What he gathered, between Hux's scathing insults about him and his very well worded arguments, was that giving Hux a weekend off was the most catastrophic move in military history. It was hysterical - but admittedly very hard to argue. He chuckled to himself, hiding his mouth behind his fingers.

 

“And to top it all-” Hux abruptly stumbled over his words. “...What? What are you staring at me like that for?”

 

Kylo was speechless a moment longer. “That has got to be the most eloquent scolding I've ever gotten,” he said, amused.

 

Hux turned a more orange shade of red, flustered.

 

Kylo pressed ahead before Hux could get himself going again. “You've worked nearly seventy standard days consecutively, most of which have included overtime. You deserve the time off.”

 

“Don't patronize me. You're not doing this to be _charitable_.”

 

He put his foot down. “For your sake, I suggest you take the days off, and stay off the bridge,” he growled.

 

Hux's nostrils flared, jaw clenched tight. The general turned sharply on his heel before Kylo could piece together what that little tick meant, taking his noisy anger with him. Kylo sat back, puzzled. Like he so often had since Jakku, he traced the concealed soulmark beneath his sleeve, lost in thought.

  
  


Hux decided to undermine him rather than talk it over a second time. The morning of his first day off, Hux practically evicted Captain Peavey from his post on the bridge. Ren was incensed when the gossip reached him. His saber flew to his hand unbidden, ready for blood. He froze. He couldn’t afford to murder Hux by mistake if they argued again. With immense struggle, Kylo extinguished his blade and set it upon his throne before going anywhere.

 

He stormed the bridge, dark clouds brewing around him. He stepped out of the lift - and all that simmered away. Hux's back was to him, great coat framing his shoulders to give him more breadth than he really had. With his cap fixed in place, he blended into the inky blackness beyond the viewport. The Force was coiled tight around Hux in a busy hum, but Ren could make neither heads nor tails of the meaning of it. The bridge snapped to look his way - including Hux. Kylo forgot how to breathe. That severe gaze did things to him that it really shouldn't.

 

In Hux's hand, there was a ceramic cup instead of his usual mug. No strings from tea bags hung over the lip of the cup. Kylo frowned, and felt like a complete imbecile as he blurted, “Is that _caf_?”

 

Hux's lip made an aggressive twitch, and another quick flash he couldn't decipher. “Yes, Ren, it's caf. I have to drink _something_ now that this abominable ship has run out of tarine root.”

 

Kylo dismissed the officers at attention, and activity resumed. The crew did a professional job of pretending not to eavesdrop. He came to stand next to the General, aware of the abnormal atmosphere. Hux resumed his watchful eye on the crew, drinking heavy gulps of black liquid. He made a wrinkle of distaste with his nose.

 

“There are other teas available,” Kylo pointed out.

 

“None that work like tarine,” came the bitter retort.

 

“You should be taking your days off, Hux.”

 

“I hardly think so. This place would fall apart without me.”

 

Hux was armed. The blaster on his hip seemed to pulse with dark energy, and a second signature resonated from somewhere vague, indicating a concealed weapon. Kylo stepped away. He had no good reason to linger - for now. The further away he marched, the more the Force around Hux quieted. A quiet whisper in the core of his chest wondered why that stung so much. He smothered it and sealed himself in the lift once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw; mention of torture fairly early in chapter, but it's very brief

This time, Kylo made sure all the bases were covered. Hux didn't have upcoming meetings. Every complaint he could recall Hux having about being given time off was handled. He sent Hux a very stern communique about the time off, with proof that the workload would be covered. It was the single most organized communique of his life.

 

Hux showed up to every shift regardless and worked studiously through them all in plain view of the Supreme Leader. Then, as if to spite him, he put in overtime. They had more than one shouting match over it. Hux was now armed at every turn, and Kylo was losing patience. Every day, Hux seemed more under the weather.

 

The arguing was disruptive to crew moral. Kylo still hadn't gotten a good reason out of Hux for his stubbornness other than not giving Kylo  his way. Somehow, they managed to come to  _ The Compromise _ . Since Hux would not leave his post unless required, and Kylo would not leave him unattended on duty, they would take shifts together. Kylo could help alleviate the workload, but only if they worked past their mutual tension. Ren regretted his life choices almost as soon as the deal was struck.

 

He followed Hux on his daily routine. Soon, this even extended to meal times, as Hux often neglected to eat. Maybe they didn't need to meet up for breakfast, or linger over supper when the shift ended, but Hux was often more agreeable after some food. Together, they oversaw the repairs of the Supremacy and the salvage of the fleet destroyed by rebel martyr Admiral Holdo. Hux was remarkably good making Kylo snort at the worst of times with his sharp, dry wit. He didn't even seem to be aware of it. Every time Kylo so much as snickered, Hux would give him the strangest look. Kylo left promotions across the ship to Hux's keen mind. Rumours stirred of favouritism in the ranks that he ignored. There would always be politics. It was good to watch him get a bit of vindictive glee out of the job.

 

During their shifts together, Hux even demonstrated his prowess in the interrogation room when a rebel spy dared to resist Kylo's attempts to break him. It had been an - exhilarating experience, watching Hux work. The man was capable of acts of torture that made even Kylo’s stomach roll now and then. He hadn’t even asked a single question during the first hour. After that, flustered by Hux’s ruthless work, Kylo had pulled the rebel’s mind apart without resistance.

 

Gradually, the tension between them lost its bite. The Force no longer gathered like a black  hole between them. He still worried about Hux. The war was still at a standstill. Hux remained armed, day in and day out. He was still wearing makeup to obscure the bags under his eyes. Kylo wanted to confront him about these destructive habits, but his plans were derailed by one emergency or another cropping up on him that couldn’t be put off. The latest was a gala, thrown by the Order. It was a transparent bid to win over the investors from Snoke’s black books. Kylo hated them all. Two-faced thieves, one and all.

 

Kylo messaged Hux as soon as the reminder arrived to let him know when he would be absent. He hadn't known what to expect to his letter, but it certainly was not the reply he got on his comm.

 

“ _ Alright. So when are we leaving? _ ”

 

Kylo found himself smiling. Unexpected, but no one could scheme like Hux. He made arrangements.

  
  


The Canto Bight barge was his first time seeing Hux out of uniform. Kylo was entirely unprepared for the knots his tongue tied itself in upon stepping out of his chambers. The black and white suit Hux wore hugged his form instead of concealing. It was fitted at the waist, with gloves of soft, expensive white fabric instead of leather. A bow tie accentuated his jawline, leading the eye up to the loose way he wore his hair for a change, swept to the side instead of glued back to his scalp. He wanted to say something, especially when Hux became uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but nothing intelligent came to mind. He wound up gesturing towards the main deck, where delicate lights floated over a dance floor and high tables meant for mingling.

 

Kylo was drawing on his grandmother for tonight's event. The cape that swept behind him had a red silk lining, with a black crown of durasteel and red shards of kyber settled around his hair. His scar almost looked like part of the crown on the mirror, unsettling him, but Hux had approved it, and that had been all that he'd needed to keep it. He was colourful by comparison to Hux's suit, but it didn't fit nearly so well.

 

Mining colonies such as Canto Bight were enjoying a surge of profits these days. What was left of the Hosnian system were building city ships, and the Order was repairing their fleet. The lush casino city was corrupt as could be, and they were exploiting that. The guests made the Order's representatives look slovenly, despite how thin the budget must have been. Kylo resented the lot of them, just for forcing him to consider mundane things like  _ budgets _ .

 

Hux was at his side the entire evening. They dealt with up-and-coming senators and pompous miners together. Beneath Hux's diplomatic veneer, Kylo could feel him radiating contempt for these slugs, but it never showed on his face as he smiled and charmed and blackmailed his way through the night. He was poetry in motion. Kylo stepped in only with his more forceful approach when he had to. It was surprisingly easy to work as a united front in public. Why couldn't they do this on Destroyers?

 

Taking advantage of a rare moment alone after Kylo chased off a particularly bothersome trader, Hux revealed another talent - throwing his voice. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, with the control commanding a parade square required, and yet, Kylo was still startled when clear words met his ear without Hux’s lips moving.

 

“I thought he'd never shut up, the old windbag,” Hux said from behind his champagne glass.

 

Impressed and amused, Kylo allowed himself a wry smile, “He'd have talked himself to death eventually. Or you would have knifed him. One way or the other.”

 

For the first time, he saw Hux smirk in return. He warmed proudly.

 

“Knives are messy, even the monofilaments. Poison is more practical in public. A heart attack at his age is practically expected.”

 

Kylo had to cover his mouth to keep his laughter contained. As his shoulders shook, he brushed against Hux's thoughts and let his amusement filter through to him. Hux paused, glass halfway to his lips - then drank, deeper than before.

  
  


Ren had thought, overall, the night was a success, even if he kept forgetting about the dignitaries to devote attention to Hux's cleverness. The general secured many allies for them, and Kylo was in high spirits - right up until they got into their speeder to return to the ship that night. After being so dashing all night, Hux's demeanor abruptly changed. He shut down all together, burrowing into his data pad like Kylo wasn't even there.

 

Frustrated _ , _ he reached out and brushed his fingers over Hux's temple, _ What's gotten into you? Talk to me. _

 

Hux said nothing. He didn't acknowledge him at all. Kylo deflated and turned back to the viewport, focusing as much as he could on flying them back to the Finalizer. Things had been going so well. So what had gone wrong?

 

The Finalizer commed them for their security codes, and Hux seemed to rejoin the living. He pushed his hair back and took over the landing duties. The charmer of the night was nowhere to be seen. Kylo went through the landing sequence mechanically. When they touched down, he turned to speak. Hux practically double-timed out of the shuttle without him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hux's hours increased after the gala, and yet, the general managed to avoid Kylo quite skillfully. Wherever the Supreme Leader was, Hux was nowhere to be found. People took notice. Whispers of their mysterious falling out circled the ship. Knowing it was probably a bad idea didn't stop him from summoning Hux late into the rest cycle one day, his restraint dissolved.

 

He had the throne pivoted towards the enormous transparisteel viewport, open to the passing blue lights of hyperspace. The hypnotic view usually calmed him. On this occasion, it wasn't enough. Hux brought a heavy cloud with him, but just like the gala, none of it showed on his features. Was it all in Kylo's head?

 

Hux didn’t speak first. He came to stand beside the throne, facing the stars. It was almost peaceful, but they were both thinking too loudly.

 

“Do you know the worst part about working with you,” Kylo began, his ramble still only half-planned. Hux stiffened subtly, “You're too good. There's no one who can do what you do.”

 

“I am indispensable to the Order. I've made that clear all my life,” Hux retorted. Kylo wanted to roll his eyes.

 

“Hux. Be serious.”

 

“You didn't think I'd make it easy for you to replace me, did you?”

 

“Replace?”

 

His brows knitted together, but Hux was building steam, just as he had the last time he’d told Ren off. “Really, Ren. If you're going to play these games, the least you can do is have the decency to try and disguise your motives a little better. I expected as much from you after you murdered Snoke, but this is just transparent.”

 

Kylo rose from his throne, eyebrows cinched in confusion. Hux's hand went to his side. His great coat flicked behind him. He was still armed.

 

Ren froze.

 

“I'm not going to hurt you.”

 

Hux's lip twitched contemptuously. “Having others do the dirty work for you still counts, Ren. I should know.”

 

Kylo tried to take a step closer. The blaster whipped up, leveled between his eyes. He lifted his hands slowly. Hux had never come  _ this  _ close to trying to kill him. “Hux, put the blaster down. No one is going to touch you. No one.”

 

“Really? Because you've been awfully keen to get me off the bridge and out of your way for a while now!”

 

Oh… Kylo's shoulders dropped. Hux scowled at him, “Try and replace me all you want, Ren; I won't make it easy for you!”

 

Kylo shook his head. “No one could ever replace you. You're too vital to us.”

 

On impulse, he reached for his lightsaber and unclipped it from his belt. He bent down, set it on the black tile floor and backed away from it. The blaster trained on him wavered, but only just.

 

“Nobody’s plotting against you…”

 

“So the constant meddling in my work has just been coincidental? Why the insistence on restricting my access to the bridge if you’re not grooming someone else for my karking job!”

 

“You need to sleep sometime!” He barked back, his cool slipping. “You're working yourself to the bone. You're no good to anyone dead; I need you alive!”

 

For a moment, he thought that he had broken through. Hux's eyes were clouded. Kylo reached his hand out towards him, too close an echo to the times he had helped out for Rey. The comparison made his marked arm itch beneath its bindings. “You need to trust me,” he pleaded.

 

Hux scoffed. “... You almost had me there.”

 

He stowed his weapon and pivoted on his heel, stalking away. Watching him go stabbed at something deep in his chest. He couldn't let Hux leave with some delusion about being expendable.

 

“Hux!”

 

The general ignored him. Ren lashed out. He seized hold of Hux in the Force and stopped him dead in his tracks. The change was immediate. A concussive blast rocked him back, a durasteel wall closing up tight around the general's thoughts. No - worse than that, he realized as he held tight. Hux felt completely void of thought at all, as if he were a black hole instead of a man. Kylo pushed at the barrier furiously. It held. Hux didn't fight him. He went as still as death, except for a tremor. Small at first, it built and built with every accelerating breath he took.

 

Fear?

 

After all they had been through, Hux had never been afraid of him before. Kylo's hold on him slipped and released. Hux shook off the last of his paralysis. “We’re done here,” he snarled.

 

And then, he disappeared back into the lift, taking that icy emptiness with him. Kylo was left alone, having made a horrible mistake. The silence grew overbearing. He filled himself with red fury instead, summoning his lightsaber to his hand. It blazed to life, and he turned it on his black throne in heavy, vengeful hacks. His rage bubbled out in a torn scream.

 

The saber hissed as it closed off once more, the energy of his temper expended. He staggered from the throne room and fell into bed, feeling like a failure in every way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: some violence, minor character death (nobody canon)
> 
> Thank you all so much for the comments! I'm giddy getting these last chapters belatedly edited, but they'll all be posted this week, barring medical emergency <3333

It took Sanitation days to clear out the noxious smoke and melted metals from the final rampage he'd gone on in the throne room. Kylo had been pushing to distract himself from his failed efforts to reach out to Hux. Tried though he might, it was hard to ignore that exhaustion plagued the Supremacy. His army was flagging, day by day. That was the completely reasonable excuse he gave himself for caring. There wasn’t anything else to it. Nothing at all.

 

And Hux… Hux was making a show of just how  _ fine  _ he was, and everything was just  _ fine _ . He was cold to Ren. Not being able to deal with Hux angered him. All that rage needed somewhere to go.

  
  


The ship's head physician was Doctor Larch, a lanky, elderly servant of the original Empire. A pompous antique. Kylo summoned him after a few days of Hux ignoring him. Larch brought a second with him. Kylo faintly remembered her being family to that skittish Lieutenant, Mitaka.

 

Kylo stood on the dias before the gaping hole where the throne had been several days before. Lightsaber components circled him, assembling themselves one by one. It was a menacing image. He gave Larch a hard look from the corner of his eye as the man bowed facetiously.

 

“You summoned me, Supreme Leader,” the doctor drawled. His assistant, Mitaka-The-Medic, hung back. Evidently, she was the smarter of the pair.

 

Kylo ignored him dramatically. The ticking seconds grew into an uncomfortable silence.

 

“We possess the most fearsome fighting force in the galaxy,” he began, “and still, the Resistance escapes us.”

 

Larch’s interest piqued. He stepped forward, reeking of opportunism. “The Resistance is hardly a threat anymore. If the Order cannot pin them down at their weakest, then perhaps someone more capable should be training our soldiers.”

 

“You're charged with the health of  _ our _ soldiers, are you not?”

 

Larch's smug demeanor shrank in on itself. The taste of his dread was intoxicating. “Grunts are an expendable resource,” he brushed Kylo’s accusations off in a strained voice. “We have the numbers to supplement the losses.”

 

A flash of Hux’s evermore exhausted features flashed through his mind. Kylo's mouth curled in displeasure. “And my officers? Are they expendable to you as well?”

 

Panic began to set in. “Supreme Leader Snoke trusted my judgement in these-”

 

“Yes, I’m aware he did. I wonder… Would they have been as slow to defend him if they were at their full strength?” It was a bluff. The Praetorians had been beyond the doctor's care. Kylo didn’t need a reason to terrorize this sniveling coward.

 

Larch began to tremble. Kylo raised his hand and clenched the Force like a noose around Larch's throat. Larch's eyes bulged in his skull, cheeks flushing red, then violet. Kylo let him take the smallest gasp. He gave the man an instant of hope - then bore down harder. Blood vessels began popping in his eyes. There was a sickening crunch as delicate bones began buckling inward. Another sharp tug, and his neck snapped and slumped sideways at an awkward angle.

 

Satisfied, Kylo let him drop to the ground.

 

Mitaka took a frightened step back as Larch fell, limbs splayed awkwardly. Kylo turned on her, plucking his finished saber out of the air. He leveled it with her. “I trust you won’t make your predecessor’s mistakes.”

 

She looked from the corpse back up to him and shook her head quickly.

 

“Good. Congratulations, doctor.”

 

“Thank you, Supreme Leader,” she bowed. Steeling herself, she bent down and collected the command cylinder from Larch's breast and affixed it to her own. Kylo dismissed her, darkly pleased with himself.

  
  


With Larch  _ dismissed _ , word spread of Doctor Mitaka being hand-selected as his replacement. Lieutenant Mitaka was obviously less than thrilled that his sister was receiving attention directly from the volatile Supreme Leader, but he wasn't brave enough to challenge Kylo. All in all, he was proud of himself. It made way for changes to be made from behind the scenes without Kylo himself having to be involved.

 

He left the med staff to sort themselves out, and soon, a report was delivered to him, recommending several changes to be made that could help improve crew health - including mandatory check-ups, and a ban on overtime during non-emergency situations. Kylo approved the suggestions.

 

He entered a tactical briefing late a week later and already, the difference was staggering. People were more alert, the air was charged with activity. None of that compared to seeing Hux, pouring over a tactical schematic, some semblance of colour returned to his face.

 

Others were already packing up and leaving for the day. Hux moved to collect his data pad and leave. Kylo shook himself out of his stupor and shooed away Hux’s consultant. “General. A moment, if you would?”

 

Hux tensed, giving Kylo that same lurch in his chest as before. He didn't want Hux to fear him anymore. Not for any reason.

 

The last officer exited the briefing room, leaving Hux by the large viewport and Kylo just across from him behind the circular conference table. For all his planning and practicing, he felts woefully underprepared for this moment.

 

“You look good,” he said awkwardly.

 

Hux frowned, pad clutched tight in one hand, “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Just what I said.” Kylo circled the table, closing in behind him. Hux pretended that he wasn't watching every motion carefully. “You don't look so much like a walking corpse anymore. It's like you've been actually sleeping or something.”

 

“Get to the point.”

 

Stars, this man was frustrating. Not even a twitch of a smile. “I don't know, Hux,” he confessed, “It’s - good. It looks good on you.” There - finally, a fully formed thought.

 

“Forgive my doubts, Supreme Leader. It's a bit of a stretch that you care with our track record. You had no problem launching me across the ship before,” Hux sneered venomously. Kylo weathered it.

 

“I know…” On impulse, he reached up and brushed his fingertips over the base of Hux's neck. Hux jolted - but he didn’t shut down again. That was progress. Hux turned towards him. Kylo’s hand hovered in mid-air as he waited for Hux to settle before reaching out for him. Inch by inch, the general allowed him closer. His eyes were still darting back and forth between Kylo's hand and his face. He didn't have his blaster this time, but Kylo was sure he was still armed.

 

Kylo ran his fingertips over that high, defined cheekbone… And Hux sighed, leaned into his touch just a fraction. He stroked down to the hinge of Hux's jaw, so relieved to be allowed this close. “I hurt you…”

 

“Yes… you did,” it sounded hard for Hux to confess. His breath was unsteady. “Don't think this changes anything.”

 

Kylo slid closer, tested running his thumb under his hairline. The little shudder Hux made was addictive. He let his nose brush over Hux's cheek, debating kissing him. Hux pressed a hand to his chest, keeping back that last hair’s breadth.

 

“I'm still angry with you,” Hux said.

 

“Let me make it up to you.”

 

“You're not serious.”

 

“I am.”

 

“So - you haven't been trying to kill me?”

 

Kylo shook his head, so relieved that he was finally getting through to him. “I need you too much,” he confessed. “You're -  _ indispensable _ .”

 

Finally, it seemed to sink in, and Hux’s knees turned to jelly. The perpetual noise that radiated off of him crescendoed. “I think I need to sit down.”

 

Hux sank into a chair at the conference table. He kept his hand pressed against Kylo, a cautious thumb sweeping back and forth over his chest. This time, it was Kylo shuddering. He squeezed Hux's wrist and went down to his knees, trying to catch his gaze.

 

“Forgive me if all this is hard to believe,” Hux said, “We've spent a very long time hating each other.”

 

Had they? A question for another day. He slipped his thumb into Hux's palm. “Too long. Don't we deserve something good together?”

 

“No magic tricks… No pain. Understand me?”

 

“Trust me,” he beckoned, closing in. 

 

“That'll take some work,” the teasing brought welcome warmth to his voice.

 

Hux tugged him closer by the nape, tilted his head just so in invitation. Kylo rose up on his knees and brushed their mouths together. Immediately, Hux's perpetually noisy cluster of thoughts softened to a dull roar. Lips parted under Kylo's, soft, and thinner than his own, and Hux curled his fist into Kylo’s tunic. With a startled sound, he found himself being tugged up and into Hux’s lap.

 

As carefully as he could, Kylo pressed into Hux's thoughts. If he’d thought that watching the general overthink things was loud before, it was nothing compared to actually being in his head. He could feel the good, too. The elation rolling off of Hux was addictive, but he could hardly hear it over the background noise. Was the door locked? What if this was some elaborate ruse? And worst of all, a tiny voice beneath it all murmuring,  _ Please don't give me this if it isn't real _ .

 

Kylo brushed over those worries with a gentle touch, doing his best to soothe them with his own emotions. Hux tensed, noticing the intrusion for the first time. Kylo didn't even have time to regret his decision before that same unyielding wall from before forced him out. Their contact went silent, and Hux pulled back.

 

“I said no tricks,” Hux growled. “What about that wasn't clear?”

 

Kylo slowly unwound himself, sitting back so Hux could feel like he had space to breathe. “It's not a trick,” he promised. “All of this, what I showed you... it's all real.”

 

Hux framed his hands around Kylo’s face and peered deep into him. Without being able to hear his thoughts, Kylo floundered a little.

 

“What does your mark say?”

 

Kylo winced. He curled the fingers of his right hand in on themselves. “I don't want to talk about it…”

 

“So you can invade my privacy, but I can't invade yours?” Hux demanded, forcing him to maintain eye contact.

 

Kylo went slack.He began to pull away, ready to retreat and give Hux the space he deserved. The general didn't let him move. He held Kylo firmly in place. “Stay out of my thoughts,” he commanded, “It's invasive. And if you  _ ever _ use the Force to touch me again, so help me, I will put a blaster bolt in you and leave you to bleed.”

 

It was rare of Hux to issue  _ him _ commands. Since his coup, Hux had been practically docile after the coup. If this was Hux's condition for winning him over, he would pay it. “Alright.”

 

Hux considered him a moment longer, unconvinced. “You really want this?”

 

Kylo nodded. At last, the defensive standstill Hux was at, unwilling to let him come closer or draw away, came to an end. This time, it was Hux who leaned up and stole a kiss from him, and Kylo sinking into it with a throaty moan. He tuned out everything beyond Hux's skin against his. He tangled himself in Hux's arms and lost himself there, careful to keep out of his thoughts as Hux cautiously lowered his defensive walls.

 

They eventually had to move when Hux’s legs began to go to sleep. Hux seemed just as reluctant as him.

 

“Spend the night with me,” Kylo asked spontaneously.

 

Hux shook his head - with effort. “Not tonight. We're - rushing as it is.”

 

Disappointed, Kylo gave in. “But I can see you again?”

 

Hux gave him a very teasing, slow kiss that made his insides trip over themselves.

 

“We'll see.”

 

Hux straighten his hair as he left, leaving Ren with a wild grin on his lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Hux seemed completely unchanged on the outside after their kiss, but Kylo could practically feel the general thinking about him. It was more of a struggle than ever to stay out of his thoughts when they called for him like that. Unlike Hux, Kylo’s face was too expressive for his own good. These soft, silly smiles kept creeping onto his face at the worst of times because Kylo kept remembering that stolen moment. It drew stares.

 

He took advantage of his position and took a few days of leave for himself. Many, Hux included, were annoyed with him taking off little warning and even less explanation, but he needed time to meditate, and he couldn’t do that with Hux making him blush every few minutes.

 

It was hard to find his center, to let go. The mark on his arm itched fiercely from being covered so long. He discarded his tunic, but left on the black band covering the words engraved in his skin. He was painfully aware of minutes ticking by without progress. After many hours of effort on the first day, his door chimed. Kylo’s shoulders slumped, and he waved it open to let Hux in.

 

“You weren’t shadowing me today,” Hux remarked as he stepped inside. Kylo watched him examine the open space Snoke once inhabited. Artifacts he had collected sat on mostly organized shelves. His grandfather had a new shrine in the meditation corner. The bedroom door was closed for now.

 

“I was investigating a disturbance in the Force.” 

 

Hux snorted at that. “Any revelations, Supreme Leader?”

 

Kylo rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Only that I missed you.”

 

He reached out and took Hux’s wrist. Hux let him hold on, finally looking at  _ him _ instead of the room. His gaze tracked back to Kylo’s bracer, making them both more uncomfortable. Hux broke the silence for him.

 

“Snoke had a secret stash of brandy. Have you found it yet?”

 

He gave a relieved chuckle, “The Corellian stuff? Yeah. He’d have been a terrible smuggler.”

 

Kylo led Hux to the false panel in the wall and popped it open. The collection was small, but very, very expensive. Some of these bottles were worth a whole squad of TIE fighters. He picked out a smokier one and two glasses. It made Hux grin.

 

This became their routine. Whether they spent the days together or apart, Hux often wound up in Kylo’s chambers. Dinner, drinks, conversation or silence - Kylo didn’t care if Hux just sat by his side and did his paperwork. He had to learn the names of his senior staff to avoid embarrassing himself in front of Hux when they visited the officers’ lounge, but Hux almost always had a snide remark about their drinking company to whisper in his ear behind his glass.

 

“I’ll be home late tomorrow,” Hux told him one morning as they prepared for a conference in the throne room.

 

The new throne was taller, and far more comfortable than that black marble monstrosity Snoke had commissioned. He was perched upon the throne itself, greatcoat was draped behind him, sleeves rolled up just so. He even had one leg cocked over the arm in what had to be the least dignified pose Kylo had ever seen him in. Casual looked so good on Hux. Seeing him actually lounging, especially on his throne, did funny things to Kylo’s chest. 

 

“Oh? Which project?”

 

“Medical, actually.”

 

Kylo perked up, listening keenly as Hux continued, still thumbing through a data pad.

“Just the basics. Nothing to be concerned about.”

 

He couldn’t help the wide smile that crept onto his face. Hux was going to medbay of his own free will, without being in critical condition. He was so proud. Hux looked up as the silence stretched on too long, quizzical and self-conscious.

 

“What?”

 

Kylo bent over the arm of the throne and tipped Hux’s chin up with two fingers. He brushed a kiss over his mouth, relishing the way his partner keened for more. When he drew back, Hux chased after him and stole several more before being satisfied.

 

“What was that for?”

 

“You look good in my chair,” Kylo purred mischievously.

 

The way Hux squirmed delighted him. Hux was still flushed and straightening his uniform when their guests arrived.

  
  


Before he knew it, they were busier than ever. Kylo didn’t have the time for nightly get-togethers, and neither did Hux. It was several days into a difficult, boring assignment he couldn’t pass off to others when his comm pinged. He couldn't recall having used it before. He activated the device suspiciously.

 

_ You've been away from the Bridge for some time. The crew is starting to think you've died. _

 

Kylo read it again, his stomach doing a funny somersault as he read over Hux's name. Had the general missed him? He smiled faintly to himself. That was sweet.

 

_ You've found me out. I died after our last meeting and now my ghost will haunt the Supremacy forever! I expect an expensive funeral. _

 

He sent it, then set the device down, and walked away. He made himself prepare a quick ration pack and eat it. Hux replied quickly, making it that much harder not to just dash across the room. His resolve only lasted until he had swallowed the last bite of nutrition paste. He checked the message greedily, a lightness in his chest that he couldn't recall ever having felt before.

 

_ I'd love to, but the Order is horribly in debt because of this irascible scoundrel who had a fondness for slashing console panels when he was cranky. Just what have you been up to? _

 

Kylo snorted. Cheeky bastard. He liked this side of Hux. His muscles groaned as he stretched out in bed to reply.

 

_ Working. I do that sometimes. _

 

He wanted to message Hux for hours on end, but he was already beginning to feel the heaviness of food in his belly and lack of sleep. Kylo laid back in bed, waiting for the icon to appear.

 

Hux was still on duty. It brought a wide smile to Kylo's face, imagining him sneaking messages on the bridge or during some meeting.

 

_ Do I need to remind you to take your own advice and rest now and then? _

 

_ No, but it wouldn't hurt if you did~ _

 

_ Take care of yourself. You’d be a pain to replace. _

 

Stars, Hux’s ability to enamour him would never cease.

 

He knew better than to try to read his thoughts, but as he drifted, he couldn’t help searching for that ever-busy presence in the Force. The buzz wasn’t as dense as usual. Hux seemed relaxed. Maybe even happy. Kylo closed his eyes blissfully.


	6. Chapter 6

He and Hux were deep in discussion with their engineers over the plans for a new stealth fighter. Piloting ran in his blood, engineering in  Hux's. This machine was going to be a lethal beast. They were almost ready for the final assembly. He’d been planning to steal Hux away for lunch when he felt their presence drop out of hyperspace through the Force... Four ships of varying size, five life forces. For a moment, his gaze was drawn inward, to that faint connection. A pulsating acknowledgement passed between them. He reached up without thinking and slid his hand over Hux's lower back. “Wrap this up for me. There's something I must do.”

 

“What's so important?” Hux  _ looked _ mildly inconvenienced at best, but there was a withering note that spoke of Hux's disdain for him suddenly up and leaving. Kylo leaned closer momentarily, then forced himself away. Now wasn’t the time for his tactile habits to make themselves known. They were hardly within range again and he was slipping into old patterns already. Kylo was anxious to see them again. He swept away, leaving a perplexed room of engineers and one flustered Hux behind.

 

Kylo hurried to the docking bay. Four signatures grew louder and louder. The fifth would be Sniper, always masking her presence, even from their order. All of them reuniting was exciting, yet he had no idea what to expect.

 

This bay was the closest to being repaired after the disastrous explosions that had torn through the Supremacy. There were still plunging holes in the floor, like the ones they had fished Phasma out of before. The ‘troopers on duty were formed up in ranks that zigzagged around those gaps.

 

All different heights and builds, clad in black leathers and armoured helmets, his Knights were an ominous sight. Armoury was favouring her left leg just enough to be noticeable. All five still simultaneously took a knee when he approached. Monk still towered over the rest, spindly and mysterious. He brushed over Kylo’s thoughts intrusively with a barrage of disorganized greetings and emotions - excitement chief among them. Kylo outstretched his hands, brushing them over their helmets one by one. Little shifts in her helmet proved Sniper as paranoid as ever, gaze sweeping the bay for threats.

 

“My Knights.”

 

“Master,” Heavy's gruff voice was almost unintelligible through his modulator. He leaned into Kylo's fingers. Kylo motioned for soldiers to attend to their gear. The docking bay became a flurry of motion, the sounds of repair tools and dashing boots filling the air. The six of them retreated. 

 

“The Force is unbalanced. Strange disturbances cloud my senses,” Heavy said as they entered his chambers.

 

Sniper chimed in, “The Rebels are weak, but other enemies grow bold during our recuperation.”

 

Rogue spoke up next, hovering close to Armoury, “We encountered a band of pirates two parsecs from here. They appeared to have commandeered Hutt and Kanjiklub vessels, and freighters of goods from the remains of the New Republic. Their scavenging operation is expanding rapidly. They might make plays for Order suppliers next.”

 

“If they aren't afraid of neutral zone gangs, they're foolish enough to try,” Kylo agreed. “What do we know about their commanding officers?”

 

Armoury chuckled darkly, but let Rogue continue. “Local branches of our enforcers have dubbed them Starboarders. They seem to have once been a family collective making their fortune in bounty hunting and piracy. After their matriarch died, the succession turned ugly. After Colran took over, they started pulling risky jobs, including a salvage of Starkiller Base not a full standard month ago.”

 

That was going to infuriate Hux. Starkiller was once his life's work. Even after all he had done, it made him flinch, to think of Starkiller. He could still feel cold fingertips brush his cheek, see Han Solo keeling over into the abyss. Kylo scowled. “How much did they make off with?”

 

“It's hard to say, but even the dust of that much kyber has potential.”

 

“I managed to dent a few of them,” Armoury grumbled with satisfaction.

 

“What caused the injuries?”

 

She shrugged, sitting and extending her lame leg, “Cargo bay mishap. I wasn't expecting the Bantha.”

 

Kylo unmasked them, one after another.

 

Heavy clicked his thick aqualish tusks and blinked four glossy black eyes as they pressed their foreheads together. Warmth ran through Kylo. He returned the pulse and moved to Rogue next, revealing his young Chiss brother's piercing red eyes. A new scar donned his jaw, aging his features. Kylo ran his thumb over it affectionately.

 

Armoury came to him next, bending down so he could pull off her mask and pull her close. She’d cropped her hair again, the shoulder-length locks braided close to her scalp. She was the only human, like him, but she was a beast of a woman, tall and broad and stacked with thick muscle like a mountain. It seemed she grew every time they were apart. He recalled holding her on his hip when she was small, before they shucked off their old selves to follow Snoke.

 

Monk waited patiently until they others had gone, motioning for Sniper to go next. Stoic though she appeared, Sniper slid just as close as the others, eager for her greeting from the Master. Kylo unlatched her mask and ran his hands up under her tattooed lekku as they embraced, just as he had with the others. Finally, he pulled Monk in. Monk kept his helmet in place, but he offered a different kind of closeness with his thoughts. It was more organized now that he wasn't so excited.  _ I missed you. There's so much to tell you. We have been gone too long. _

 

Kylo sank into their arms as the five encircled him, finally at home with his family. These, the people who had left Skywalker to be with him. He soaked up their love eagerly, relishing their kinship renewing itself.

 

Finally, he could put it off now longer. “Supreme Leader Snoke is dead - and so is Luke Skywalker.”

 

Heavy bowed his head, sorrow evident. “I... I see. That must have been the upheaval we felt… How did they die?”

 

Kylo closed his eyes. They would learn someday. “Skywalker's last apprentice aided me in striking Snoke down. She… refused to join us. As for Luke - I really don't know. Became one with the Force, perhaps.”

 

Monk shook in silence for an instant, bearing the combined weight of grief his siblings gave off around them. Then, with effort, he steadied. It should have angered Kylo that after all this time. Yet… they had tried to shun him after his attempt on Ben's life, but none of them had quite managed. Armoury came closest. She was strong that way.

 

“Snoke forbade you names when we came to the Dark Side,” he said, remaining strong for them, “I am sole Master of the Knights of Ren now. I say it's time we changed that.”

 

All around him, expressions lit up from pain to glee. Names, not roles or titles… real identities, after nearly ten years of trying to earn them from Snoke. It was high time they were free of him. He ran his hands over Heavy's coarse pelt. He had forgotten how good it felt to be with them all. “Think on what you want from your names. Stay here as long as your missions allow.”


	7. Chapter 7

The last time he’d seen the Knights of Ren, everything had been different. Aside from Skywalker and Snoke - Kylo hadn't had a soulmark. He just hadn't had the time or means to tell them about it.

Sniper was the first to see the band around his forearm. She snagged his wrist. Kylo glanced up at the pale green woman. Her quiet Force signature hummed with intense concentration. “What’s this?”

The question was a shade too pointed to let him play dumb. Kylo turned his arm over in her grip. Rogue looked up from a holonovel he had been immersed in. Kylo could feel the others listening keenly. Outnumbered, he sighed, and drew down the bracer. Embossed into his skin in neat Imperial was a rather long phrase for a soulmark.

_ We all rise, together. _

He had thought that the cryptic mark referred to Rey once. A powerful Force-user awakening mere hours after his mark appeared? It had seemed like destiny. Kylo traced it, exhausted. Thinking of her was still a bit of a sore spot for him, his healing scars aching.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Sniper as she read it, but she let Rogue ambush him with questions.

“When did this come in?”

“What is it?” Heavy asked from the meditation mats, distinctly  _ not _ meditating.

“A soulmark,” she breathed, tracing the grooves. Goosebumps broke out over his skin.

The apprentices gathered around him to see, all chattering now. Heavy dropped the unaffected act and peered over Kylo's shoulder as Rogue twisted his arm back and forth so the light caught his skin, red eyes fixated.

“You matched with someone?”

“Do you know what it means?”

“How long has it been here?”

“But really, who has the patience for our Master?”

“We need to meet them!”

As conflicted as he felt about the mark, Kylo chuckled at their enthusiasm. He raised his hand and hushed them all, “Alright, alright. I'll tell you all about it.”

Armoury reeled Rogue back by the scruff of his collar so others could have a chance to see.

“My mission was to track the pieces of the map to Skywalker,” he began. “The last piece was in the possession of Lor San Tekka on Jakku.”

Kylo told them how he captured Dameron, ignoring how Rogue cringed at his name. He told them of the interrogation - and that exchange with Hux.

_ For your sake, I suggest you get it. _

The mark had appeared that night, after he'd rejected Hux's offer to find the droid together.

“It - hurt,” he admits. “I could feel each letter punching itself into my skin, like my arm was a keypad… they were blue at first, glowing like a datapad, then faded to this grey. When I met Luke's last apprentice, I thought there was no one else it could be.” He gestured to the cut in his face the Knights had so respectfully ignored so far, “Rey disagreed. She left me for dead - twice, now.”

“Sounds like true love to me,” Armoury chimed sardonically.

“Masochist.”

Kylo smiled. “It doesn't matter. Marks are fickle things. There's a reason no one knows why or when they appear.”

“But there's no one else it could be?”

Red hair, and whispers behind champagne glasses…

“I have other things on my mind right now.”

 

He fell into old habits with the Knights around. He was almost always touching one of them, feeding his touch-starved body with contact. Time seemed to move faster and slower all at once.

The first of his makeshift family came to him during meditation, breaking his concentration. He opened his eyes to vibrant blue and red Chiss features. Kylo gave Rogue a pretend scowl. Rogue glared right back and said, “My name is Sena.”

It seemed to fit him. There was an elegance to it that suited his deceptive nature and fighting style. Kylo answered, “What about a surname? Any thoughts on that?”

“Ren, of course.”

 

Armoury had taken up drilling with Phasma, despite Dr Mitaka advising her another two days of bed rest. She happened to be immune to Kylo's death glare, so there was no use arguing with her. It seemed to snap Phasma out of her moping about FN-2187, too. Heavy and Sniper ran a short mission on their own, looking into Colran and his scavenging operations. Their ship was gone five standard days, but neither had been awake enough for reports on return. Kylo himself was trying to track Rey through the Force, in search of the Millenium Falcon. The effort stretched well into the evening, even with Sena and Monk there to help him. Monk's abilities to hear and sort through vast swaths of minds was a boon, and Rogue (Sena, he reminded himself), was a master strategist. Kylo was wrung out by the end, and still no closer to answers. He dragged the pair of them to bed, curled between them just like childhood. Sena brought a cool cloth to bind Monks eyes with to help with his headaches, and made sure that he was soundly asleep before tucking himself under Kylo's chin. Kylo fell into heavy sleep, leaving his marked arm bare.

It seemed he had only been unconscious for a matter of moments when his door slid open with a distinct chime that roused the three of them.

He pulled his saber into his palm with the Force. The lights clicked on. Hux stood above the bed, hard gaze scanning over them. Kylo lowered his weapon quickly and pressed against Sena's side before his apprentice could draw any of his multiple weapons. He could feel Monk awake behind him, still pretending to sleep. He wondered if that was a good sign.

“Do you plan on returning to work any time soon?” Hux asked scathingly.

Kylo glanced at the chrono. “It's the middle of my rest cycle, Hu-”

“And the last six standard days?!” Hux barked. Sena bristled against him defensively.

Hux's energy wasn’t a hum today, but a storm. _ Where were you? What happened? Where  _ **_were_ ** _ you? They show up and you just disappear? I was a damn fool for ever- _

Betrayal, concern, hurt, righteousness, indignation, feral possessiveness, loss... By his tense shoulders, though he was pretending to be asleep, Monk could clearly hear everything Hux was projecting, too.

Sena ghosted a hand over his shoulder. Finally, Kylo looked at the scene from Hux's perspective. To outside eyes, the pair of them here must look… Kylo forced himself up and pulled a simple robe over his shoulders. “Sena, take Monk to the others,” he instructed gently. What a mess - especially at this ungodly hour of the night.

“Come with me,” he told Hux. The General's lip curled, but he followed. Kylo led him to one of the emptier rooms he hadn't found use for beyond drinking with Hux. There was a table for projecting holos off to the side that he sat at. Hux sat across from him stiffly.

“Alright. Let's go over what I've missed.”

“Really? Are you going to ignore that I just found you in bed with two of your apprentices, a standard week after that pretty declaration you gave me?”

“That wasn't what it looked like.” That only made him sound more guilty of something. Kylo shook his head and pushed his fingers into his hair. He was far too tired for this, and yet he knew it needed resolving. Hux crossed his arms across the table, hostile.

“Pray, tell. Illuminate me.”

“My Knights are family,” he began, exasperated. “When I became Snoke's apprentice, they were with me. We've always been close like this.”

“You're not doing much to help your cause, Ren.”

Sena and Monk's signatures faded gradually as they left the suite. Kylo sent them a pulse for goodbye.

“What is it you want, Hux? The Knights and I aren't fucking, we aren’t lovers. I don't know what I can do to convince you otherwise.”

“So that was, what? Accidentally tripping into bed together?”

Fuck, the jealousy would almost be hot if it wasn't about the Knights. “Monk gets overwhelmed easily. We help him stay grounded. Sena is good with his episodes. He's always been the most tactile of us.”

Hux rolled that information over in his head. “Is that why he has the-” he gestured to his eyes with one hand.

“The blindfold? Yes.”

“How many of them have marks?”

Kylo rolled his eyes, but really, hadn't he been just as obsessed with marks as Hux was now before Rey had turned on him? He sighed. “Armoury doesn't have anything. Who knows with Heavy; there's no way to tell with aqualish. Monk and Sniper matched before Snoke.”

“What about the pretty one? The Chiss?”

“Sena? I don't think he has one. I haven't asked, and he tends to stay dressed.”

“Why is his name different from the others?”

“Snoke never gave them names beyond their titles when they became Knights. With Snoke gone, we thought it was appropriate for them to search for names if they want them. Rogue chose his a few days ago, after a folklore figure from his homeworld.”

“And you're sure you wouldn't rather one of them?”

He thought back to the Knights asking who his mark might be. He seriously thought about it. His forearm tingled under his loose sleeve.

“Pfaask, no. We don't- It's literally just a grown-ass sleepover, alright? No dicks, no kisses, just fucking sleeping. And sometimes pillow forts. You're never too old for those.”

The silliness seemed to work. Hux softened - marginally. “You're not - involved with them. At all?”

“None of them,” he swore, leaning over the table. He reached his hands out, and Hux reluctantly took them in his own, shuddering as Kylo immediately took up stroking his skin. Hux slowly unwound his tense posture. Before the subject could change, Ren added, “You should also know that Monk can hear you when you think. A  _ blessing _ from our former Leader. He can't block others out like I can.”

Hux swallowed, paling. “Is that not a security risk?” A pretty way of disguising his panic, Kylo thought with some amusement. Stars, he was tired.

“More to himself than to the Order. It's a valuable resource, but it takes a toll. Sniper helps. She syphons off what she can. My Knights made many sacrifices for the Dark Side. All of us have. It's - brought us together. They're comforting, but they're not…” He sighed. “They're not you.”

A little warm light appeared in Hux's eyes, spreading into this beautiful, smitten expression. Kylo brought his hands up to his lips and kissed over Hux's knuckles. His sleeves fell around his elbows. “There's no one else I want, I promise.”

“Okay,” Hux breathed, squeezing his hands.

“Are we alright?”

“I think so. This is all still - unbelievable for me.”

“Hux-”

“I brought some files to go over. There's a trade accord on the table with Canto Bight that looks promising, but I think we can tighten our hold on them a little.”

Kylo watched as the little light in Hux's eyes dimmed a fraction. Hux was thinking something, but he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. At least he hadn't thrown up his walls again. Hux plugged a  drive into the station. A blue holo flickered to life between them.

Hours slid by until Hux's stomach began rumbling. When Hux ignored it. Kylo eventually switched the projector off himself. Hux protested. Kylo gave him a stern look.

“We have shifts soon. We've worked through the entire sleep cycle. We're going to eat something, I'm going to check in with my family, and then we can pick this up against after.”

Hux gave him an irked glare, but took back his files and pocketed them and got to his feet. He rounded the table and held out a hesitant hand. Kylo took it and let Hux pull him up into a loose embrace, arms around Hux's waist.

“I'm sorry my insecurities keep getting in our way,” Hux murmured, pressing his forehead to Kylo's temple, completely unaware of how similar the gesture was to how he greeted his Knights. “I really do want this.”

Kylo smiled softly. “I'm not going anywhere. We’ll get there.”

Hux kissed him then, so sweet that it left a wonderful ache for more in his chest. Kylo groaned and forced himself away, “Don't think this is getting you out of breakfast.”

“Dammit.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Does he always barge into your room like that?”

Kylo gave Armoury a hard glare and speared an orange root of some kind with his fork. “Do you always spend your nights in Phasma's?”

Armoury gave him a savage grin, “Twice does not always make. The doctor told me to get some physio.”

“Oh is that what they call it?”

Armoury took a deep swig of caf. “He owes Monk an apology,” she said more seriously.

“It wasn't on purpose.”

“Does that matter?”

Kylo hated when she was right.

 

That morning had been a shit show at first, and the day had been tremendously long. All he wanted was a long nap, but that could wait another hour or two. He and Hux still had a lot to resolve, whether Hux liked it or not.

After dismissing the Knights for the day, Kylo went looking for him. Remarkably, Hux had managed to find the mess hall on his own. Gaggles of their senior staff were whispering in close-knit clusters. Kylo paused. So did the conversation. Something off made his stomach churn, but the room was too noisy to pin it down. He’d have Monk sweep the ship later.

He cut in between a cluster of people and took Hux by the arm, leading him away from the dish line. “General. I need to borrow your services for a moment.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “You don't need to intimidate them so often. Save that for rebel scum.”

Kylo gave him a private smile and gestured with a nod down the hall for Hux to follow him. “A little terrorizing keeps them in check. Besides, I've been behaving.”

“Miraculously, yes. Now, what is it you're after? It’s been a long day.”

Kylo led him into the officers’ lounge several doors down and sealed the way behind them. It was deserted.

“I wanted a moment alone with my General,” he admitted, slipping an arm around Hux's waist. Hux didn't jolt at his touch. He even leaned back against him and let Kylo nuzzle under his jaw. The soft sound he made gave Kylo chills.

“I suppose I have a moment…”

He kissed behind Hux's ear with a feather-light touch. Hux shook his head in mock exasperation and untangled their forms, leading him to one of the long couches decorating the room.

Kylo only visited these spaces when he had need of someone, or when he had been performing duties for Snoke, once upon a time. Hux pushed him down into the cushions. Kylo opened his arms and folded them around Hux as Hux laid over his chest. The warmth of his weight immediately made him yearn for sleep. He fought it off, just a little longer. He could feel Hux thinking a mile a minute, but silence seemed to hang over them. Kylo brushed his fingertips over Hux's temple, trying to imagine what he was thinking without prying.

“Is this what you had in mind,” Hux asked after an elongated pause, looking out the viewport into the darkness.

Kylo took Hux's hand and brought it to his lips, held him close. “Your shift is over for the night, isn't it?”

Hux hummed in response, still buzzing at the edges of Kylo's senses. He wasn't walled off. If Kylo wanted to, he could know. He did his best to focus on the mundane instead of the Force. “You could come back to my quarters with me… Stay a while.”

“Won't it be rather crowded?”

“I asked my Knights to give us a night away.”

Hux stopped breathing. Froze. He sat up slowly to meet Kylo's gaze. Kylo kept their fingers entwined, kept himself hopeful. “What is it you want out of this, Ren? My soulmark never came in, it’s not like we’re-”

“Hux…”

“I'm not going to be a stand-in until someone else comes along.”

That would explain the insecurities, certainly, but he's really thought they'd solved some of this that morning. “Not everyone marks at the same time. It doesn't mean anything. The last person I thought it could be tried to dismember me; I'm not a great judge of character.”

“And if my mark comes in and it's from someone else? Or if I'm nobody's?”

The idea of someone else claiming Hux for themselves made Kylo uncomfortable. He shrugged that off and pressed his forehead to Hux's temple. “You're not 'nobody’... Not to me.”

“...I told you to stay out of my head.”

“You did. I'm not in there with you. I want to be,” he said with a weak smile.

Hux snorted and shook his head. The little lip twitch he earned made Kylo's insides swoop. He could go on about how Hux was essentially second-in-command of the Order, and try to tackle those insecurities head-on, but something told him it would take more than one conversation to overcome it all, and he was… well, tired. They’d take it on another day.

“Do you want me, Hux?”

Seafoam eyes pierced deep into his soul as Hux turned to face him once more. “...Yes. I told you as much this morning.”

“Then claim me,” Kylo urged, settling his palms on Hux's waist. “If others come, we can fight them off, together - like we were supposed to from the beginning.”

Hux framed his face in both hands, hovering over him with predatorial intensity. “Don't give me this lightly, Ren,” Hux growled darkly. “I won't relinquish what's mine. Anyone else tries to take you, even your Knights, I'll have their fucking heart.”

“Just like you have mine,” he swore.

Hux made a positively feral sound against his mouth and dove into him. Teeth caught his skin, his lip would be swollen soon from Hux's ferocious assault, but all Kylo could think was yes, this, he's finally mine. Fuck the marks.

Hux nipped his chin hard and ducked down to kiss and suck at his throat. Kylo groaned for him openly, dropping his head back and burrowing a hand in Hux's hair. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Then, a colossal boom. The ship shuddered, almost jostling them off the couch. Alarms began to blare. They staggered to their feet, comms out. The fleet was under attack. Kylo met Hux's eyes once and darted towards the door for the hangar bay. He could already hear Hux getting in touch with the Bridge, barking orders.

He blocked the sound of his voice out and stretched himself through the Force for his Knights.  _ Sniper. _

She was on the move. The others met up with him in the corridor as he passed the galley, Troopers dashing by in formation to their stations.

“Where’s the General,” Sena asked immediately.

“Head for the Bridge,” Kylo answered. “Armoury, Monk, be ready to move. If they blast through our hull, cut them down before they board.”

“Yes Master.”

Sena peeled off to their right. Heavy followed him, having apparently taken to Sena's habit of shadowing Hux. Hux was no weakling, but he'd rather the man's combat experience stay theoretical. The others took a lift. As the doors slid shut and Kylo wheeled towards the hangar, Monk's thoughts nudged against his.

_ Jin,  _ Kylo heard.

He grit his teeth. Something about the choice felt like an omen.


	9. Chapter 9

Sniper and her fighter squad were peeling out of the hangar bay when Kylo arrived. Two black clad pilots flanked him, heading for their TIEs. Almost as soon as he leapt into his ship, a holo of Hux flickered to life.

“You have three bombers, a dozen fighters, and a frigate out there, Ren. How did the Rebels arm themselves so fast?”

Kylo finished the launching sequence and jetted forward into fray. Sniper wheeled past, a pair of fighters on her tail. One was an X-wing, but it was patched and oddly painted. He blasted it before replying, “This isn't a Resistance fleet.”

Another ship dropped out of hyperspace, tiny swarms of pods heading off of the hull.

“They have salvage tanks bolted to that freighter,” Sniper replied. He wasn't used to her using her voice so much. Hux nodded. She must have opened a link to both of them.

“Junkers. They're trying to scrap us for parts. All power to the forward shields. Sniper, take out those bombers.”

A soft ping passed between them before she spoke over the comms. Traces of her Twi’lek accent bled into her Basic. “That's the same logo we saw on Colran's fleet before! They're going to be dirty fighters, General.”

Hux wrinkled his nose in distaste.

The Supremacy was still dead in the water, unable to make quick maneuvers or the jump to hyperspace without being torn to shreds. He barked Kylo's orders back to the crew, pulling power from all non-emergency systems to keep the shields up.

A fighter to Kylo's left collided with one of the enemy pods, leaving his flank exposed. He swooped up over the bridge of the Supremacy. Bombers closed in, reminding him all too much of the loss of their Dreadnought in the Ileenium System. He sent the fighter on his right to target their engines and dropped beneath them. He flipped his ship upside down and fired up into the first bomber as the bay doors opened. Even after all his training, looking up into that many explosive devices made his pulse jump.

With a satisfying jolt that rattled his Silencer, a chain of explosions rolled down through the vessel. Shrapnel pierced his wings, but the second pirate ship suffered worse, listing past the Supremacy instead of over it. The third was nearly within range, but being swarmed with fighters. Satisfied, he curled away to regroup with Sniper.

The salvage pods were making quick work of the outer rims of the wreckage around them. Soon, they would be ready to hack off bites of the big prize - their flagship.

The frigate fired a volley of plasma bolts. Their cannons were charging. They clearly weren't putting all their energy into shielding, like the Order was. Kylo cursed.

“Hux, hang on!”

He threw the fighter into auto-pilot and closed his eyes. Sniper made a sharp, distressed jab at him, a warning.

The freighter was full of lifeforms of all kinds, but even more numerous, he sensed metal. Droids, scrap, living things he couldn't identify. And beneath the hull, humming with radiant energy, the ventral cannons. He reached out.

The blast was concussive. It slammed into the his grasp within the Force and _pushed_ so hard that he thought it would rip him apart. Hux's voice broke through his concentration for the barest instant. He bore down harder as the effort forced his ship to a stand-still. Metal and transparisteel groaned. Something in his ship's core crunched. His hologram of Hux disappeared with a spark.

He was slowing the blast, but it was immense. Bigger than most of the ships in this fray together. The weight in his mind was immense, despite all his concentration.

Sniper's shielding dropped away, and he felt her grasp thread through his, hauling the beam from behind the frigate, trying to force it back. He didn't dare open his eyes, not even as his hull integrity began to give. The Silencer was listing backwards. The pressure constricted around his entire frame. The ship began to spark as the systems malfunctioned, and still, even with his apprentice to strengthen him, he couldn't stop the blast. It was going to tear their two vessels apart.

_ Sniper! Let it go! _ He called out.

Praying their shields were strong enough, he released his grip. The bolt rocketed forward.

Kylo was thrown back in his seat, his ship spiralling out of control. He could hear Hux issuing commands. His voice stayed steady. That was all keeping Kylo sane.

“Raiding party on our stern, General,” a disembodied voice piped up.

A red light flashed above him. He couldn't get the emergency systems to stop screaming at him. The engine had failed. Sniper said something about the freighter being damaged. He was yanking wires and typing in rapid commands around himself, still spinning. If he collided with anything like this, it would be catastrophic. He bypassed one of the security protocols, and finally, the ship sputtered back to life a little.

There, power failure moderately stabilized. He still pulled an oxygen mask over his face and slid a helmet into place. He as he reached for a lever and pulled with all his might. One the wings of his fighter popped off, slowing his spinning.

“General, we have to move,” Sena barked.

“Rogue? Sena, what's going on?”

Hux's comm on the bridge cut out.

He punched one of the screens into submission andal got his weapons back online. Panic was starting to set in.

He fired at a piece of debris. Then another.

Bit by bit, he used the force of his blasters to slow the erratic momentum to a drift. He sank back against the seat as he came to a virtual stop. He took a deep breath. His position was exposed, but relatively out of the way.

“We're sending a rescue for you, Supreme Leader,” Opan said.

He couldn't hear Hux anymore. He twisted to look at the Supremacy. It was damaged, but surviving. Armoury radioed in that the Supremacy’s stern was secure.

Chill permeated the small enclosure. The hull was severely damaged. He would be lucky to get back to the hangar bay alive in this thing. He did his best not to drift, exhausted by his efforts to spare the ship. He must have failed, because between one blink and the next, his personal shuttle appeared over him like a looming shadow. It reeled him in with a tractor beam and he was pulled into darkness.

Screeching durasteel jolted him awake not long after. Heavy's face appeared above him as the shuttle was torn open with saber and tools. Kylo unbuckled himself and sat up. His head was pounding, but he didn't seem injured. Heavy hauled him from the wreckage and set him down on both feet. Kylo pretended the aqualish wasn't still carrying most of his weight in front of the rescue crew helping free him.

“The Supremacy?”

“Minimal casualties, mass damage,” Heavy reported. “The freighter has been incapacitated. Sniper is leading the others to capture Captain Calton. Sena remains with the General.”

“Why was Opan commanding the bridge?”

Heavy shook his head.

Kylo felt a lead weight settle in his stomach. “Let's get back.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, some NSFW

The communiques from the bridge after his rescue had been coming from Opan, not Hux. Kylo had knots in his gut by the time they touched down in the hangar bay. As soon as the ramp descended, Kylo made to sweep out in search of answers only for Hux to crowd him back into the ship’s shadowed rampart.

“Out, all of you,” Hux barked sharply. Everyone, even Heavy, exited.

“You’re alright-” Kylo began, still exhausted. Battle got him high, but he was a berserker. It tended to leave him exhausted. He’d never exerted himself like he had with those cannons.

Hux pressed into his space, forcing him into the bulkhead of his shuttle. Kylo brought his hands up around Hux's waist. Hux crushed their mouths together, clutching Kylo's chest with those gorgeous black gloves of his. Sore but thrilled, Kylo opened up to the possessive kiss, with Hux running hands over every inch of Kylo within reach.

When Hux reached for his belt and slid to his knees, he finally shook some sense into himself. The shuttle was technically not closed off. If anyone came too close... “Hux… I'm right here.”

“I can see that,” Hux drawled. “That was reckless, Ren. It's time someone taught you a lesson.” He leaned in and began mouthing over Kylo's shaft.

Kylo groaned, “Through my dick?”

“If that's what it takes,” the retort was muffled against his hip as Hux worked his trousers open, “You're not. Allowed. To leave me. You're mine.”

Kylo couldn't help getting stiff under Hux's insistent touch. He pushed one hand into Hux’s gelled hair.

“You disappeared from the bridge,” he breathed as his leggings were jerked down around his thighs. Hux ignored the unspoken question that followed.

This was probably rushing, but they'd almost died, and fuck, Hux had his mouth on his balls, and a deft hand working over his shaft. He was good at this. Dedicated. Kylo smirked, wondering if Hux would get off on someone grading his blowjobs. The man's drive for perfection could come in handy.

He moaned lewdly for Hux, deciding to just murder anyone stupid enough to interrupt them, and tugged hard on his hair just to watch Hux keen, his whole body leaning with the pull. Hux pushed his shirt up and gave his hip a quick kiss before taking the head of Kylo's cock into his mouth and sliding him home. Wet heat engulfed him, a gloved hand still working anything left exposed.

His heart raced from the thrill of it. Being with Hux at all was exciting enough. Being semi-exposed, rocking into Hux's mouth was better.

Pleasure built too quickly between the rush of recent bloodshed and Hux's skilled tongue. Kylo's knees locked as he leaned his shoulders against the bulkhead just to stay standing. Kylo arched his back as Hux slid further down his shaft, toes curled in his boots. He tightened his grip in Hux's hair, and a heady rumbled rolled up through his cock. Hux gripped his thighs hard as he sucked, working Kylo as deep as he could.

“Ah - there, Hux, I'm-”

One of Hux's hands slid up to cup his ass. He pressed against Kylo, encouraging him to fuck his mouth. Kylo thrust deep, holding him in place. The world seemed to narrow to Hux's mouth, his mischievous, glinting eyes. Slick pink lips stretched obscenely around his cock, drool painting Hux's chin.

A few more staggered thrusts and he was coming over Hux's tongue, and Hux's eyes seemed to roll closed in bliss. Kylo groaned as his balls emptied themselves in quick pulses and his cock slipped from Hux's mouth. He sank down to the durasteel floor, pants still slung around his knees. Hux slid his arms around Kylo's shoulders and nuzzled over his lips. Kylo rolled his tongue against Hux's.

He reached for Hux's belt, only for a lazy hand to bat him away. “That's not what this is about,” Hux said, still stealing kisses. His bravado wasn't so sturdy now. There was something running through his mind Kylo couldn't access. Kylo stroked his jaw, keeping him close with an arm around his waist.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Hux only shook his head. “Later.”

“I hate not being in your head,” Kylo sighed. “How can I know what you need if you won't tell me?”

The cold of the ship made him shiver. It seemed worse than usual. Hux's gaze bore into him, searching for something. Hands came up to frame his face.

“You're mine,” Hux whispered fiercely. “I'm staking my claim on you.”

Kylo couldn't help the wide grin that swept over him. His efforts had won through. “Are you mine, too?”

Hux kissed him softly and nodded. “I am.”

  
  


They emerged from the ship dressed and proper. Officers gave them odd looks as they passed, making Kylo feel as though they all knew what had transpired in the shuttle. Hux kept his chin high and lead the way to the central war room. The Knights and Phasma joined them near the door. She and Armoury looked wrung out, blaster scorch marks on Phasma’s silver plating.

Opan and a cluster of others were already there. People startled at their entrance. Conversation petered out. Ren gave them all a glare. There was some kind of rumor stirring, and they didn't want their commanders overhearing.

He took his position at the head of the circular table, by Hux to his right. One by one, the Knights fanned out through the room. Sena came to flank Hux's shoulder. Armoury settled near Phasma at the door.

“Reports,” he commanded coldly.

Monk - now Jin - paced the perimeter of the room, ignoring the chatter that followed.

Bit by bit, a summary of the battle was laid out before them on the projectors. The pirates had planned this strike on them. Key codes had been found aboard the captured salvage pods, along with specialized tools for detaching durasteel components. During the frontal assault, a second force had appeared at the stern and opened up a passage to their engines. Armoury, Phasma, and Monk had been there with Troopers to quash them, but the damage was substantial in that sector.

Kylo's Silencer was damaged beyond repair during the attack, but his and Sniper's efforts had likely saved the entire ship from destruction. Vital systems were operational, but only just. Repairs were underway.

As if to emphasize this point, the lights flickered and died.

Emergency lights powered on, bathing the meeting in dull red.

Jin joined his thoughts, focused on Opan. Kylo disconnected from the meeting and turned inward to listen. A memory filtered into his thoughts. It was fragmented, but intriguing. Tritt was head to head with a pair of captains on the bridge. Whispers were passing between them. Sena was escorting Hux from the bridge. Now was the time, a  _ weakness  _ they could exploit. Remove them both at once. Install someone more malleable, someone favourable. Kylo bristled at an image of Hux - adrift in space, the rank and Order insignias torn from his uniform. Strange black markings painted his face, too indistinct to make out.

Opan was planning a coup.

_ Deal with him, _ Kylo growled, his wrath barely contained.

A quiet affirmation sang through his thoughts before Jin retreated. The tall Kaminoan continued his circle until he arrived at Opan's place at the table. Kylo held up his hand, silencing the officer reporting - a blond lieutenant, Thannison. The room fell dead silent as Jin, in his imposing mask and heavy leathers, extended a threatening three-fingered hand over the man's head.

Opan jolted to his feet and spun around, retreating from the Knight with wide eyes. Jin cocked his head and spread his fingers wider. The struggling officer froze in place at an impossible angle. Jin prowled closer and hovered over him, mounting a sense of terror in their bystanders.

Kylo watched with a vengeful glee as Jin snarled menacingly, “ _ I see you.” _

Opan's eyes bugged wide in his skull and his head promptly snapped to an unnatural angle and went limp against his shoulders. Jin flexed his fingers, and the body hurled back, colliding with the console near the viewport. It crunched on impact and crumpled in on itself. Even Hux was transfixed in abject horror. Jin kept them all in his grasp, turning to look over each and every one of them. One by one, they all shrank away.

Kylo rested his cheek on his fist, the picture of indolent power. “Well. Now that that little coup is quelled, I trust you'll all remember where your loyalties lie. I would hate to enforce more gruesome punishments on traitors,” he purred.

Kylo gestured to Thannison once more. “You were saying, Lieutenant?”

The lieutenant cleared his throat, “Supreme Leader… Reports coming in from multiple sectors of systems failing. Our main generator seems to be offline.”

That meant they were in for a long, cold cycle, he thought grimly. He was always running too hot. Usually, he welcomed the chill spaceships provided. This was going to test even his endurance. He grit his teeth. “I want the Supremacy operational and ready for hyperspace in one standard week. Jin, have Opan’s co-conspirators visit the reconditioning offices.” He was gratified with several winces around the table. “Armoury, find the last of those pirates and  _ bring them to me. _ ”

Kylo rose swiftly, each officer following suit. Phasma, he noted, followed Armoury as she exited the conference. Maybe they’d gained another Knight. He couldn’t say it wasn’t nice seeing them partner.

“What of the Rebellion,” another commander interjected.

“My Knights have their assignments. The Rebel forces are spread thin. Less than a handful remain. They will soon be within our grasp,” so long as his mother and Rey could be dealt with.

“If they have the strength to orchestrate an assault like this-”

Kylo leveled a withering look his way. “This wasn’t the rebels.”

“But sir-”

“Dismissed.”

The commander shut down obediently and the others left. Sena kept close at Hux's heels. Kylo followed them to the bridge.

  
  


There was too much to do to keep the ship running. Hux was throwing himself into his job again. As the ship's systems deteriorated over the following days, so did Hux’s health. The cold was incessant, and even Sena could not shadow Hux at all hours, though he certainly tried. Regardless of their relationship improving, it was  _ frustrating _ to watch Hux rapidly regress into outright abuse of his health.

He finally had Sena bar Hux in his quarter. When Sena required rest, Heavy would replace him. Even Jin and Sniper took time to recover from the battle.

Sena was slipping from the General's quarters when he arrived, slipping his helmet into place. Kylo reached up and touched his chest, reeled him in. “How is he?”

Sena made an eye roll Kylo could sense through the armour, “Exhausted. Overworked… He had a fainting spell earlier. I've put him to bed.”

Kylo's stomach dropped. “Is he alright?”

“If he sleeps,” his Knight confirmed. Slowly, Sena retreated from the embrace they shared. “I need to eat and meditate, Master.”

“Go,” Kylo murmured. He lifted his cloak, wrapped around a pair of items he hoped might be solutions to his overworking problem. “I'll handle Hux.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, yooo! Thank you so much for sticking with it even though I took longer to post than I should have for the KBB
> 
> All my love to starkickback, my amazing artist!! Find Star on tumblr and Patreon.

Hux was dead to the world when Kylo woke to a comm unit buzzing insistently. The room was boiling hot. Hux's layers were scattered about. Some were on the floor, the tie to the housecoat was around Kylo's ankle. He had to wonder how he had slept through all this stripping. Hux's hair was every which way. It was disarming.

Kylo slipped out of the bed, amused, and went to rescue the comm. It was Hux's. He brought up the transmission. A blue holo of a ‘trooper materialized before him. “Sir. Life support is back online.”

“So I see. Anything else?” he asked, wanting very much to go back to bed.

“The General is needed on the bridge, Supreme Leader.”

The transmission ended.

In the bed, Hux had rolled into his spot, bare chested and clutching his pillow. His toes peeked out adorably… but so did something odd. Black, like ink, shining under the dim lights of the room. He didn't want it to, but his pulse skyrocketed. Try though he might, he couldn't shake the urge to check if that was a tattoo or a soulmark, or even some bionic implant just below Hux's shoulder blades. Fuck the marks, he’d said… and he’d meant it. Was that what Hux had been so aggravated about before?

It was close to the start of the Alpha cycle. He pulled his top off and began dressing. Hux's sweater smelled like  _ them _ now. It soothed the insecurities some.

Hux stirred and pushed himself up. Blankets pooled around his waist as the black spot disappeared from sight. Kylo crossed the room and sat next to him.

"What time is it?"

"We're late," Kylo shrugged. "The bridge is a mess without us. What else is new?"

Hux chuckled dryly and then fixed this look on him that burned into Kylo's soul.

"Did you mean what you said last night?"

Kylo didn't have to think twice this time. "Yes."

The door chimed, and Kylo and Hux traded a brief look. Hux's calculating eyes narrowed and he called out, “Yes?”

“Oh, good,” Sena's muffled voice answered. There was a telltale ripple in the Force, and the door slid open. “You're not dead.”

“He’s kicked me off the bridge again,” Hux snarked, unamused.

“Medical leave,” Kylo countered, floating one of the comms to Hux. “You pushed too hard yesterday.”

“Most days,” Sena agreed. “Sit up; I'll do your hair for you.”

If he was bothered finding Kylo and Hux in bed together, it didn't show. Kylo tried to tell himself that there was no reason for this to be a big deal. In fact, Hux had walked in on the reverse before. Sharing beds was normal… except it wasn't with Hux. He'd earned it. And Hux was sitting up half naked with his Chiss apprentice crawling onto the foot of the bed.

Sena touched foreheads with him, then turned Hux around on the bed.

Hux shooed him off briefly, and reeled Kylo in. Hux going for a kiss with an audience startled him, but he melted into it regardless.  

“I would never have thought I'd find myself playing hooky to let my partner's apprentice style my hair,” Hux murmured against Kylo's mouth, with the cockiest grin because he just  _ knew  _ what he was doing to Ren. Kylo's heart did flip flops.  _ Partner _ was new.

Sena whisked his fingers through the air, spinning a net through the Force and creating a delicate webbing around his fingers that caught the dim bedroom lights. He pushed his fingers into Hux's hair and began massaging his scalp. Kylo was absolutely not jealous. Sena had wonderful hands. He'd just commandeer his services later.

Kylo leaned forward and kissed the corner of Hux's mouth, trying not to think of the mysterious black discolouration on his back. “I need caf,” he grumbled. Sena raised a quick hand.

“Second!”

“Third.”

“Hux, you're taking the day off.”

“So you told me.”

“Being ordered is apparently the only way you take care of yourself.”

Hux rolled his eyes and tugged Kylo's cloak off the bedside table. The contents it had been wrapped around tumbled to the ground. Kylo felt his face heat up and he swipes them up quickly, heading for the kitchen nook (a kettle and a couple of palm-sized cooking devices for insta-rations).

“What was that?”

“They're a surprise, for the General.”

Sena cooed at him. Cooed.

“No, you can't see.”

“He's bossy in the morning, isn't he?” He heard Hux whisper as he set up three cups of caf, cheeks burning, juggling his numerous items.

“Usually worse,” Sena agreed.

“I can still hear you.”

“Good.”

He rolled his eyes and floated three hot cups back to the bed. Hux's hair was slicked back, but it was softer than usual. Kylo leaned closer. He couldn't smell any products.

“Sena. Did you style my partner's bangs with the Force?”

Sena took his caf unapologetically and blew on it.

Kylo climbed back into bed and pulled Hux up into his lap. He wrapped both arms around his back. Again, that glossy texture rubbed under his wrist. It made Hux stiffen a little. He didn't think about it.

Something akin to a wicked grin crossed Hux's face before he could get caught up on what-ifs. He hasn't seen him so smug since Snoke had granted him permission to ready Starkiller. It made Kylo shiver. “What?”

“When were you going to tell me about this,” Hux asked, pulling something from Kylo's pocket.

Kylo's mouth dried. One of his gifts was on the dresser with Hux's kitchen supplies, but  the other… Dangling from Hux’s fingers was a metal ring of - rather personal nature. Above them, Sena turned the darkest lavender he had ever seen.

“Awfully presumptuous, Kylo Ren,” Hux continued. He sounded far from upset. Kylo leaned closer, dying to bite his freckled skin. Hux drew back, still smirking. Stars, he was at this man's mercy, and did not mind in the slightest, especially with Hux looking better rested. “What did you plan on using this for?”

Sena didn't move a muscle.

“I was planning,” to use it to fuck Hux senseless, given the opportunity, but he was hardly about to confess that now, “to experiment with a few things. You get anxious away from your work.”

“I'm a busy man. But you haven't really answered my question.”

There was a brief exchange between himself and Sena, and the thankful Chiss bolted from the bed. Kylo pretended he didn't overhear a few of the thoughts that had crossed his hapless apprentice's thoughts. It happened to everyone… but there was a possibility that they would need to discuss how vivid Sena's imagination could be sometime soon.

The door opened and shut behind Sena. Alone, Kylo ducked down and began trailing kisses over Hux's throat, “You know how to use these?”

“Obviously.”

“Pain helps you calm. The hair pulling, pushing your limits. I wanted to see how well pleasure would work instead,” he murmured, loving his snarky tone. He slid his palm up his core, tracing his belly. Hux arched into the touch, sighing softly.

“I wanted to see if I could drive you to tears. Make you forget all about the Order for the night,” Kylo confessed.

“Devious,” Hux purred. “I wonder what you'd think of my usual alternative.” He threaded his fingers into Kylo's hair, holding him in place as he pushed up to his feet. Kylo nipped his belly, dying of curiosity. Hux moved one of Kylo's hands to the waistband of his pants.

“Why don't you take a peek?”

Kylo did as Hux commanded. He groaned as he unveiled what Hux had been hiding from him. Hux had himself tucked away in a cage - neat transparisteel encasing him from root to stem. A small, tough lock hung between his legs. Kylo forgot to breathe as he admired it, puzzling over the construction of it.

“I was wearing this yesterday during my shift,” Hux drawled lazily, “I didn't have time to take it off before you came and spent the night. You didn't notice it~”

Kylo couldn't believe his eyes. Not only was Hux devious and kinky, he had a stunning cock, too… and that was still locked away. He ran his tongue reverently over the slit. Hux only let him sneak the tiniest taste before he pulled away.

“I would like to try this little ring out,” Hux said imperiously, fixing his pants once more, “maybe after you tell me what your other gift was for.”

Kylo momentarily forgot what Hux was even talking about. He licked his lips. On the dresser lay the long, dark tank top made of stiff fabric.

“It's one of the other methods I wanted to try,” he managed, reaching for it with the Force. It felt wrong to get up without Hux's permission. Interesting. “I found it a few cycles ago on the holonet. It's a chest binder. Some people use them for posture or shaping their bodies, but they're popular for anxiety as well. They've been nicknamed thunder jackets.”

“I’ve never heard of them.”

“Does it interest you?”

Hux ran his fingers over the fabric, contemplating. “Perhaps.”

“They have to be taken off every few hours,” Kylo adds. Their fingers dance over one another's. “Incentive to end your shifts on time.”

“You thought a lot about this…”

“Is it too much?”

After a moment, Hux shook his head. “No. No, I think I quite like it. It's good seeing you think strategically.”

“General. You wound me!”

They traded grins, and the binder found its way to wherever the mysterious cup -  _ cups _ of caf had gone to. Hux ran his palms up Kylo's chest. “I do my best. Someone needs to keep you in line… And on the subject of gifts, I believe I have one for you, too.”

There was a seriousness to Hux's tone beneath the humour. Kylo sobered slowly.

“Something happened, during the pirate assault.”

Millicent hopped into the covers and meowed at them both. Kylo ran a hand over her back. She gave her human a sleepy yawn and hopped off the bed again with a meow, trotting away on some feline mission.

“I'll feed her soon,” Hux murmured, distracted.

Hux took his hands. Kylo was beginning to love letting Hux manipulate his body. “After we lost your transmission, I found myself rather unwell. I had to take a leave of absence from my post. These disturbing messages had started penning themselves across me - my hands, my face, even my hair…”

Kylo's fingers trembled as he followed Hux's guiding touch across his lower back… then up, up, up his spine. “They covered my entire body at one point. It was terrifying. No one knew where you were, and I had these cryptic aurebesh characters scrawled all over. And then they started disappearing. Sena helped me find this when we got to my office. It's all that's left. You grew up together… he knows your writing.”

“Hux, are you…”

The texture of Hux's skin changed unevenly beneath his fingers. Portions were smooth and cool to the touch, like a viewport. He recalled the black 'ink’ he had spied peeking up from under Hux's blankets.

“I think it's yours,” Hux's voice dropped to a whisper. “Would you like to read it? It's not particularly kind.”

Kylo nodded fiercely, gripping Hux tight. He had to loosen his hands for Hux to turn. Sure enough, in the center of Hux's back, running up his spine at the tiniest bit of an angle, there were words in juvenile script. They felt like black ice, a contrast to the raised ridges of his own.

_ He thinks I'm a monster. They all do… _

Kylo flattened his palm over the heart-wrenching phrases. A memory washed over him.

Young Ben Solo, so close to accepting Snoke as his master… It had been the last time he'd seen his family all in one place, an attempted surprise party that had ended in ruins. He'd overheard just a fragment of a conversation between Han and Luke about him. Leia had been silent the whole time. He'd run to his hut with furious tears and a rage in his chest he couldn't quell except when it was overtaken by loneliness. He remembered writing that entry. He remembered his future Knights one by one appearing at his doorway. They had been there for him then, embracing the monster his family couldn't bear to look at. There had been no turning back from there. It was the night Ben Solo had died.

“Ren?”

He looked up, finding seafoam eyes full of concern meeting his. Hux… not Luke, but Hux.

He pulled up the sleeve of his borrowed sweater and extended his arm to Hux. Hux reached for the protector hiding his mark. It didn't take Hux nearly as long to observe his text, though he did trace over the raised edges. His skin was relieved to be exposed.

“This… this was an old speech I wrote,” Hux murmured. “Funny enough, I was very cross with you that day. It was just before we set out for Jakku. I saw it before, the day I met Sena and Jin… but I convinced myself it wasn't mine.”

A slow smile took his features - one Kylo mirrored.

“So we're soulmates?” Kylo asked redundantly.

“Apparently.”

“I kind of like that.”

“It certainly explains why you're impossible to get rid of.” Hux gave his forearm a gentle squeeze, palm over those letters, his letters.

Kylo snorted and traced his letters. The words themselves would change meaning eventually. All that worry and jealousy that morning for nothing… he couldn't be more relieved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to make a separate story that's them finally having sex, but it won't be nearly as long. Thanks for coming on the ride with me!


End file.
